Farewell to the Old Monk at Guoqing Temple

Before Hanshan Lake, Tai Yuan stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his sleeves fluttering gently in the wind, his gaze as deep as a mountain pool. He listened to the rustling mountain breeze and watched the drifting clouds, seemingly merging into one with this world.

Hanshan Lake was named after the Tang Dynasty poet-monk Hanshan. It was surrounded by rolling mountains, dense green bamboo forests, fragrant flowers, and singing birds.

The green waves of the lake rippled gently, and the dark mountains cast their reflections like a painting, resembling a natural ink wash artwork.

Here, one could watch the sunrise in the morning as the misty waves blended with the rosy glow; in the evening, one could see off the sunset glow as brilliant light filled the sky; at night, one could admire the bright moon, its quiet reflection sinking into the emerald waters; and in the summer, one could escape the sweltering heat, comforted by the cool breeze.

Occasionally, tourists rowed boats in the middle of the lake, and fish leaped out of the water, bringing a sense of openness and wonder to the heart.

After several days of inquiries, Tai Yuan had learned that the current year was the third year of Hongzhi, which was 1490.

At this time, the Great Ming Dynasty was ruled by Zhu Youtang, the emperor known as the "most devoted lover" in history.

Zhu Youtang was the only emperor in history to practice monogamy. Throughout his life, he only married one Empress, never took any concubines, and never held any imperial consort selections.

His daily life with the Empress was no different from that of an ordinary husband and wife, making him an anomaly among emperors.

Following the governance of Emperor Xianzong, Zhu Jianshen, the Great Ming Dynasty—which had been plagued by internal troubles and external threats—had entered a state of internal peace and external stability, heading toward a renaissance. Furthermore, because Zhu Youtang had grown up in the cold palace, experiencing the warmth and cold of human life and eating meals provided by a hundred families, he was extremely diligent in state affairs. Thus, the Great Ming Dynasty still enjoyed a peaceful and tranquil landscape.

As for the most troublesome issue of Wokou raiding the southeastern coast of the Great Ming, due to the establishment of the tally trade system and Japan being in the Sengoku period with constant conflicts among various factions, it was currently merely a minor nuisance.

Occasionally, a few Ronin would cross the sea, but they could not stir up any major waves.

However, Tai Yuan knew very well in his heart that if history followed its original trajectory, after the Jiajing era, the Wokou would become a major disaster along the southeastern coast of the Great Ming. At that time, a group of famous anti-pirate generals would emerge, such as the widely renowned Qi Jiguang. But that was a matter of several decades later.

Tai Yuan thought to himself, with him as a butterfly here, no one could say for sure what the future would hold. After all, Chongdao Temple was located in Taizhou Prefecture, in the southeast. If any Wokou dared to make trouble here...

A startling flash of light flickered in Tai Yuan's eyes before quickly returning to tranquility.

Taizhou Prefecture.

Xicheng Ridge.

Behind the small hill of the Guoqing Temple complex, a square stone-paved stele pavilion with double eaves and upturned corners stood tall amidst the dense pine forest.

On the lintel of the pavilion, four golden characters were written: "Dharma Milk for a Thousand Autumns." Inside, three rectangular stone steles were arranged in the shape of the character "Pin" (品). Within the pavilion, two figures stood facing each other—one Taoist, one monk.

The Taoist was Tai Yuan, while the monk was the contemporary abbot of the Tiantai Sect of Guoqing Temple—Grandmaster Zhi Tong.

"Grandmaster, I have troubled you for many days and received your dedicated guidance, from which I have gained much. Today, Tai Yuan has come specifically to bid you farewell." Tai Yuan clasped his hands and bowed, his tone respectful.

Grandmaster Zhi Tong was over eighty years old, yet his face looked like that of a fifty or sixty-year-old, and his spirit was hale and hearty. He pressed his palms together in a Buddhist salute and said with a smile, "Amitabha. Seeing your achievements today, Tai Yuan, I believe Daoist Brother Bai Yun will rest in peace in the Yellow Springs."

Chongdao Temple and Guoqing Temple were both located in Tiantai County of Taizhou Prefecture, not far from each other.

Furthermore, Ling Feng Zi and Grandmaster Zhi Tong were both true, dedicated cultivators who did not pursue fame or fortune, and their friendship was extremely deep.

When Tai Yuan was a child, he often accompanied his master to Guoqing Temple. Grandmaster Zhi Tong could be said to have watched him grow up. Now that Tai Yuan had decided to travel the world and seek the Dao in the mortal realm, he naturally had to come and bid farewell.

"Tai Yuan, your essence is full and your spirit is abundant, with Qi flowing throughout your body. Entering the mortal realm this time, do you intend to cultivate your Xing Gong? It seems that during these three years of mourning, you have not neglected your practice."

Grandmaster Zhi Tong's eyes were as sharp as torches, seeing through Tai Yuan's cultivation realm with a single glance.

"Grandmaster has keen eyes!" Tai Yuan poured a cup of tea for Grandmaster Zhi Tong and replied respectfully.

"Your current achievements, if placed in the Jianghu, would make you a top-tier expert. Aside from a few reclusive hermits, even Shaolin's Fang Zheng, Wudang's Chong Xu, or the Sun Moon Sect's Dongfang Bubai might not be able to do anything to you." Grandmaster Zhi Tong said with praise in his voice.

In his words, the great chieftaing of the Jianghu seemed to be just ordinary people.

Tai Yuan said modestly, "Grandmaster flatters me. You know me; I have never been good at the art of fighting. If I truly encounter those martial arts experts, I fear I can only run away in defeat."

Grandmaster Zhi Tong snorted coldly and said, "Those martial artists spend their days fighting for fame and fortune, either scheming too deeply or committing murder and robbery. They are blind and muddled, ignorant of the true path—all of them are mediocre people!"

In his tone, he held quite a low opinion of those famous Jianghu Grandmasters.

"The Zen Sect has a saying about clarifying the mind and seeing one's nature, where words fail and mental activity ceases, realizing the unborn and undying true nature. The Taoists also explain, 'Cultivating only life but not nature is the primary illness of cultivation.'" Grandmaster Zhi Tong said slowly.

"As for Fang Zheng and Chong Xu, though they are revered by the northern and southern martial arts worlds and their realms are considered profound, they are ultimately burdened by their reputation, losing their true selves. They can no longer be considered true cultivators. Otherwise, they wouldn't have schemed against the Huashan Sect. Alas..."

Tai Yuan nodded in agreement, "Indeed, the hearts of the Jianghu people are currently restless, good and evil are blurred, and everyone forms cliques. As the proverb goes, 'Each region's climate shapes its people.' Let alone producing a once-in-a-millennium Taoist Grandmaster like Perfected Zhang Sanfeng, even righteous heroes like Qiao Feng and Guo Jing are as rare as morning stars."

Mentioning Qiao Feng and Guo Jing, Grandmaster Zhi Tong could not help but smile.

Tai Yuan had told these stories to him and Ling Feng Zi when he was a child. At that time, the two of them were shocked that Tai Yuan, at such a young age, knew the events of hundreds of years ago like the back of his hand. Yet they did not press him, for everyone had their own secrets.

Just as the phrase Tai Yuan often said—everyone has their own secrets.

"Why should you underestimate yourself, Tai Yuan? To have such achievements at your age, as long as you remain self-reflective, keep your mind from falling, and keep your Dao Heart unchanged, you may not be unable to reach the realm of Perfected Zhang Sanfeng in the future." Grandmaster Zhi Tong said, his voice filled with expectation.

"It is my own disciples who lack such spiritual roots as yours. Those who want to learn martial arts all go to Shaolin. Those who come to my sect are either orphans or children from families with too many mouths to feed, sent to the temple because they could not survive." Grandmaster Zhi Tong sighed softly.

Tai Yuan knew that he was not exceptionally gifted by nature; he had simply known what he wanted since childhood. Having wasted a lifetime in his previous life, how could he not be diligent in this life when he could perceive the Great Dao? Regarding Grandmaster Zhi Tong's helplessness, he could only promise that during his future travels, he would look for suitable disciples for him.

"Tai Yuan, do you have any clues regarding the cultivation of Xing Gong?" Grandmaster Zhi Tong asked.

"I have some ideas, but they still need to be slowly verified, and I also need to study more scriptures."

Mentioning this, Tai Yuan could not help but feel a bit troubled.

Chongdao Temple's own collection of scriptures was sparse, and the path of cultivation ahead had to be explored step by step on his own. Although he had read countless scriptures in his previous life, from his current perspective of having received true inheritance, the essence and dross in those scriptures were mixed, and some content had already been forgotten. Sorting out useful things from them was truly a monumental task.

Grandmaster Zhi Tong nodded and asked, "Then what insights have you gained from studying the *Lotus Sutra* recently?"

Tai Yuan pondered for a moment and replied, "In short, Sila, Samadhi, and Prajna."

"Cessation is Samadhi, Contemplation is Prajna. Gathering the mind into Cessation is Samadhi; quiet and bright contemplation is Prajna. Within Cessation, there is Contemplation; within Contemplation, there is Cessation."

"Hahaha! Excellent!" Hearing this, Grandmaster Zhi Tong could not help but clap his hands and laugh heartily, his eyes filled with praise.

Outside the temple.

"Grandmaster, please stay your steps." Tai Yuan clasped his hands in farewell.

Grandmaster Zhi Tong nodded with a smile, watching Tai Yuan depart.

At this moment, the mountain light was hazy, and the clear sky was just right.

Tai Yuan's figure drifted further and further away, like a wisp of smoke, disappearing into the vast mountain forest.

Grandmaster Zhi Tong murmured softly, "Daoist Brother Ling Feng, with the convergence of Buddhism and Taoism, perhaps I will truly see Yuan'er attain the Great Dao of a Human Immortal."

"A Human Immortal..."

Turning around, the temple doors slowly closed.